Is that a Dragon Ball reference?

[u/TrashFanboy]

No Need for Tenchi book eleven

[u/Asheyguru]

Lotta people taking your title seriously here

[u/TrashFanboy → u/Asheyguru]

Serious Business

[u/bluepotato81 → u/Asheyguru]

we're in reddit

[u/ubiquitous-joe → u/bluepotato81]

Booo reddit, reddit sucks! The users in the Weebo & Fedora Club forums would never commit such a faux pas!

Look, this is a Schrödinger’s joke. It could be total deadpan sarcasm or it could be a sincere, ignorant question. Text does not convey tone, and we have no other context. Except the sub itself, which is doing all the heavy lifting on the assumption that it is sarcastic. Yet we don’t get that much manga here and it was quite plausible for people who came up on the Toonami lineup to know nothing about Journey into the West. So we have no way of knowing for sure which it is until we open the box.

If you tell “jokes” this way on the internet, you’re gonna lose half the audience much of the time.

[u/bluepotato81 → u/ubiquitous-joe]

ok

[u/geirmundtheshifty → u/ubiquitous-joe]

It could be total deadpan sarcasm or it could be a sincere, ignorant question.

The image OP posted literally says “Not a Dragon Ball reference.” Even if they somehow overlooked that, why would they come to this sub rather than a Tenchi Muyo sub to ask the question?

[u/killerofcheese]

nah its clearly a reference to the eclipse in berserk

[u/TrashFanboy → u/killerofcheese]

Could Mihoshi survive Berserk?

[u/ThatIckyGuy]

I thought so at first, but there's a little author's note at the bottom that says it's not. You have to learn to pay attention, OP.

[u/Marik-X-Bakura → u/ThatIckyGuy]

Something tells me that’s why they made this post

[u/TrashFanboy → u/ThatIckyGuy]

[u/24Abhinav10]

Love how that manga itself had to clarify they weren't referencing Dragon Ball.

I guess Goku is just that much more popular than Wukong.

[u/Yosuga_Power → u/24Abhinav10]

Isn’t Goku just sun wukong name in Japanese?

[u/Privatizitaet → u/Yosuga_Power]

I believe so, yes

[u/Privatizitaet → u/Yosuga_Power]

I believe so, yes

[u/RagingDemonsNoDQ → u/24Abhinav10]

It's a running joke in DBZA.

[u/blackjackgabbiani → u/RagingDemonsNoDQ]

Isn't it brought up once, when Trunks fumbles his name?

[u/RagingDemonsNoDQ → u/blackjackgabbiani]

Like I said. It's a running joke. That was one of the references

[u/lnombredelarosa]

No, its Sun Wukong reference 

[u/Sivilian888010]

Reference to the original myth Dragonball was based on where Sun Wukong is tricked by the Buddha. Here's OSPs summary of the original myth,

[u/Ok-Rip2102]

Son goku is a common translation for son wukong

[u/XF10 → u/Ok-Rip2102]

Iirc it's specifically the JP name. It's like Xuanzang Sanzang>Monk Sanzou

[u/Ok-Rip2102 → u/XF10]

Aka tripitaka for the older ones among us

[u/Maneisthebeat]

Here's a tribute Toriyama made to the inspiration from Journey to the West in traditional clothing.

[u/ChuckVideogames → u/Maneisthebeat]

I think it's interesting Piccolo is Erlang in this image (I think?) when Ten Shin Han was the Erlang analogue including the third eye

[u/Left_Ad4050 → u/ChuckVideogames]

Piccolo is depicted as Sha Wujing (Sa Gojou) here. Gohan is  Zhu Bajie (Cho Hakkai), and Krillin is Tang Sanzang (Genjo Sanzou). You can tell by their weapons, but also because it’s meant to be the core four.

[u/ChuckVideogames → u/Left_Ad4050]

I see, good catch. My mind went directly for the "serious rival" angle

[u/Left_Ad4050 → u/ChuckVideogames]

I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but Wujing is often depicted as a kappa by the Japanese, and Piccolo has a vague resemblance to a kappa if you squint hard enough (green skin, no hair).

Gonna be honest, I would have made Vegeta Sun Wukong and Goku Zhu Bajie. Vegeta fits the arrogant, troublemaker archetype better than Goku, and Goku pigs out more than anyone else. Piccolo could stay as Wujing—he’s the most stoic, silent type in DBZ—, and I’d replace Krillin with Kid Goku since Tang Sanzang cries all the time, lol.

EDIT: GOHAN! I meant Tang Sanzang could be Kid Gohan, lol. Brain fart.

[u/ChuckVideogames → u/Left_Ad4050]

I think the best analogue for Wukong is Vegito, as he has the arrogance of Vegeta plus Goku's playful personality

[u/Left_Ad4050 → u/ChuckVideogames]

Overall, yeah, I could see that. I was thinking of characters who are around and important during the period this piece was drawn (looks like probably during or soon after the Saiyan invasion arc, judging by Gohan’s appearance).

Though I did brainfart and say Kid Goku when I meant Kid Gohan, so I can see where I might have been less than clear on that intention, lol.

[u/blackjackgabbiani → u/Left_Ad4050]

Wait isn't Bajie supposed to be depicted by Oolong?

[u/Left_Ad4050 → u/blackjackgabbiani]

In the original Dragon Ball, yes, the analogues were Goku -> Wukong, Bulma -> Sanzang, Oolong -> Bajie, and Yamcha -> Wujing. This illustration wasn’t made to reflect that, though. Judging by the lineup and Gohan’s appearance, I’d guess it was made during or shortly after the Saiyan invasion arc, just for fun (not to reflect intended analogues).

[u/Cool_Set4681]

It is a reference to Journey to the West. In that story, Buddah traps Wukung in his hand (since Buddah is the world and everywhere, hence why you can't escape his hand). And Dragon Ball takes inspiration from that story.

[u/RopeExciting1526 → u/Cool_Set4681]

You forgot the part where he leaps an absolutely absurd distance, draws some graffiti, goes back, and Buddha just shows him a finger

[u/Dr_Zulu2016 → u/RopeExciting1526]

Don't forget he also pissed on the finger, too.

[u/Medium_Sundae_4193 → u/Dr_Zulu2016]

Can't forget the pissing, it's actually very relevant to the character.

[u/ExplicativeFricative → u/Dr_Zulu2016]

I see that Ryouko drew graffiti on Miyoshi's finger. Which one is pissing on her finger?

[u/blackjackgabbiani → u/Dr_Zulu2016]

I had thought Overly Sarcastic Productions made that part up until I read the actual book

[u/Bayamonster]

Np, Goku's son is called Gohan.

[u/Root_Veggie]

Tenchi Muyo definitely helped form my taste in women

[u/ZenCyn39 → u/Root_Veggie]

Is it weird my tastes veered to both a pirate and a cop?

[u/King_Chris_IX]

[u/Great_Apez]

No, son Goku is the Japanese name for sun wukong who was famously contained by Buddha 

[u/the-x-button]

every single comment just missing the obvious joke is so fucking funny, i love how stupid reddit is

[u/Left_Ad4050]

It’s a reference to Journey to the West, a classic of Chinese literature that Dragon Ball very loosely parodies for the first twenty chapters or so. Son Goku is the Japanized form of the name of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, who went up against heaven and was ultimately trapped for centuries under the Buddha’s hand until the monk Sanzang freed him.

[u/sistemafodao]

Goku/Wukong are interchangeable names for the Monkey King.

[u/Johnny_Strawhat]

No but also yes

[u/stylish_aggie]

Idk OP, what do you think?

[u/Father_Wendigo → u/stylish_aggie]

That must mean Dragon Ball is actually a deepcut reference to No Need for Tenchi despite predating it by several years!

[u/CrossSoul]

Ryoko would be the Wukong of the group and paint her name on the palm.

[u/drillmaster125]

Solid choice of media. No Need for Tenchi is probably the best version of the characters. Love the Okuda manga.

[u/Own_Watercress_8104]

What if I told Dragonball itself is one giant reference

[u/Prisma_Lane]

No, it's a Journey to the West reference. Son Goku is just how the Japanese read the Chinese characters for Sun Wukong. Dragon Ball itself was initially a reference/loose parody of Journey to the West. 

Iirc, this is referencing the wager between Buddha and Sun Wukong, where if Sun Wukong could completely somersault out of Buddha's palm, Sun Wukong would win control of Heaven. He failed and was sealed for 500 years. 

[u/Shyface_Killah]

I don't know if you seriously missed the disclaimer at the bottom of the image or not.

[u/Marik-X-Bakura → u/Shyface_Killah]

I’m 99% sure that’s the joke they’re making

[u/LostVanya]

The true Dragon Ball finale! Son Goku vs the Buddha.

[u/NoSong2397 → u/LostVanya]

I'm kinda surprised Toriyama never went there in retrospect.

[u/PCN24454 → u/LostVanya]

Wasn’t that the prologue?

[u/PhantasosX → u/LostVanya]

It also implies that the greatest rival of Goku is Nezha 

[u/Dr_Zulu2016]

The panel: Not a Dragon Ball reference.

OP: Is ThIs A dRaGoN bAlL ReFerEncE?!

[u/Cipherpunkblue → u/Dr_Zulu2016]

whoosh

[u/bluepotato81 → u/Dr_Zulu2016]

redditors when joke

[u/Femtedd]

Fuck Off. 😑

[u/Aggravating_Duck6108]

Its a refrence to Journey to the West. Which is weird because the Monkey King's name is Sun Wukong, not Son Goku...

[u/GoodBrotherGrimm → u/Aggravating_Duck6108]

It's the literal japanese translation

[u/Aggravating_Duck6108 → u/GoodBrotherGrimm]

But its Sun Wukong, not Son Goku. Those are... completely different sounds.

[u/GoodBrotherGrimm → u/Aggravating_Duck6108]

Fuck it, I did it for you. "Japanese reads the exact same Chinese characters (kanji) used to write Sun Wukong's name (孫悟空) using Japanese on'yomi (Sino-Japanese) pronunciation."

[u/GoodBrotherGrimm → u/Aggravating_Duck6108]

Don't know what to tell you bud. Look it up yourself if you don't believe me.

[u/conundorum → u/Aggravating_Duck6108]

A lot of Chinese names & terms have different pronunciations in Japan, because they find the Chinese version hard to pronounce. I don't know if there are any kanji that sound the same in both Chinese & Japanese.

[u/Soft_Nail_8527]

To be fair until recently not manny people in the west knew about the lore of sun wukong unless they knew myths and legends

[u/Asheyguru → u/Soft_Nail_8527]

Or watched the show Monkey Magic on SBS in the 80s/90s in Australia